Changes to Diamond Lounges in AC
 

Rumors all over the place that CET Diamond Lounges in Atlantic City will start charging 1,000 credits per entrance unless your tier score is 25,000+ effective June 13. Supposedly food offerings will be upgraded.

Not happy that a benefit that influenced my decision to make diamond is being taken away less than half way through the year. This, combined with the lowering of comps for poker players in AC, is making me seriously consider exploring non-CET casinos.

this sucks. i was working towards diamond status with this being one of the biggest perks. not sure if i should bother now.

Yep, quite big news for a lot of folks.

The exact wording :

Got my postcard yesterday, not happy about it, although AC is not a likely destination for me. They did include two free admissions (for you OR a guest) valid 6/13/11 - 8/31/11.

However, this will probably go a long way towards reducing the crowds in the lounges. And adds a target between 11,000 and 100,000 to shoot for.

The new policy as described on the postcard is not entirely clear. Will 25,000+ Diamond members be entitled to bring a guest free-of-charge? Will sub-25,000 Diamond members be allowed to bring a guest, and will that cost 2,000 points?

I sure hope they have the smarts to change the name of the lounges.

makes no sense
 

Why shoot for 25,000 tier points for free Diamond Lounge meals when the equivalent of 20,000 (0r 1000 comp dollars) within the year after being upgraded will keep a Black Label status at The Borgata and pay for 100 Amphora lounge or buffet meals? Diamond Lounges will never compare to the Borgata fare and Comp dollars accumulate twice as fast at The Borgata.

Another alternative is the Gold Nugget where it is rumored 5,000 points in 2011 will get you Chairman.

Some people have already seen the enhancements and weren't at all impressed. CET has lost my husband's and my business and we have both been Diamond for several years. This past year I settled for Platinum, much preferring The Borgata food and slots. Ironically, I can earn a free buffet at Ballys with an hour of play while my husband the Diamond member cannot!

I reached platinum tier this weekend in LV. I'm on the fence about renewing diamond for another year.

The two biggest benefits from my perspective were free food and parking in AC. The only diamond benefit I have used in LV that is not afforded to platinums is the diamond taxi line. The separate hotel check-in and buffet entrances are also available to platinums.

Now that I am hitting LV more often than AC, I'm not sure making the effort to renew diamond is worth it.

In LV the diamond lounges stopped offered food a few years ago. They do offer chicken wings and another hot dish 2 hours/day. [They do offer snacks for the hours they are open + free drinks.]
The Borgata Amphora lounge has always charged $10 (=10 comp dollars) admission, but their food was a level above the hot food offerings in AC casinos. At Caesars AC even though the food was free I've rarely had to wait on line, while for Borgata long lines at peak meal hours are the norm.
The big plus for Harrahs (now Ceasars Entertainment) system, is their national scope; when I look at the offers in my on-line account I have hundreds of promos some of these directly (or indirectly) will pay some (or all) of the airfare to get there
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Since the change in rules for entering the dl, I used Caesars AC dl on several occasions. Two weeks ago, they were letting all diamond members in without charging $10 in comps. This past weekend, they were strictly enforcing the rules. Even though it was a holiday weekend, there were lots of empty seats on Friday and Sat. As "promised" in the mailing, they have a roast beef carving station; there were a few more hot dishes than pre change, the desserts were not better than before. The waitress besides giving drinks, also has (small) shrimp cocktails.

Ugh. This is so disappointing because AC is my go-to spot to gamble and I am hundreds away from getting Diamond for this yr, I doubt I will get 25K, it is possible though.

I just hope the Harrahs Resort Diamond Lounge doesn't cut back on offerings in the next year or so (they may upgrade but will cut stuff somewhere else in the lounge), it would be incredibly sad if they did.

Although Borgata is a reasonable alternative, it's almost pathetic the stuff they are throwing even at Black Label people. I can still get a non Harbor/Marina room comped most Mon-Thurs at Harrahs Resort yet Borgata still has trouble getting me ANY comped room Mon-Thurs! No Joke!